Results 27,241-27,260 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Consular Services Data (14 Dec 2017)

Simon Coveney: The establishment of a network of locally hired Commercial Attachés was one of the key components of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s Economic Diplomacy Strategy launched in January 2016. The initiative was designed to bolster the capacity of our Mission network in selected locations to support economic promotion under the Department’s...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Human Rights Cases (14 Dec 2017)

Simon Coveney: The Deputy will recall that my predecessor issued a statement expressing serious concerns when the co-chairs of the Peoples’ Democratic (HDP) Party, Figen Yüksekdað and Selahattin Demirtas, were arrested in November 2016. A representative of the Embassy in Ankara tried without success to gain access to the court when Figen Yüksekdað’s trial opened in July...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Legislative Programme (14 Dec 2017)

Simon Coveney: Specific provisions of Acts under my Department that have not yet been commenced are Sections 14(8) and 14(9) of the Passports Act 2008. These Sections of the Passports Act, if commenced, would provide that guardians’ consent to the issuing of a passport would be considered to be enduring for the child up to the age of 18. The commencement of these provisions is currently under...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: European Council Meetings (14 Dec 2017)

Simon Coveney: I attended the most recent EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Brussels on Monday 11 December, where developments in the Middle East, including the Middle East Peace Process, Yemen, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Libya were discussed. The Council had a good exchange of views on the Middle East Peace Process and developments in the wider region. We discussed what more the EU can do...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: European Council Meetings (14 Dec 2017)

Simon Coveney: The meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu in Brussels on 11 December preceded the Foreign Affairs Council, and was not therefore a meeting with the Council itself. The meeting was an informal breakfast meeting, essentially an exchange of views, and so there was no formal outcome as such. High Representative Mogherini hosted the meeting, and a similar encounter with Palestinian President...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Brexit Negotiations (14 Dec 2017)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 41, 50 and 53 together. I welcome the Joint Report from the EU and UK negotiators on progress in phase one of the Brexit negotiations, published on 8 December. On Irish-specific issues, the Government achieved the goals we set out to achieve in this phase. They included maintenance of the Common Travel Area, protection of the Good Friday Agreement in all...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: EU Directives (14 Dec 2017)

Simon Coveney: The European Commission initiated a proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on work-life balance for parents and carers and repealing Council Directive 2010/18/EU on 26 April 2017. The proposed directive aims to address women's under-representation in employment and support their career progression through improved conditions to reconcile their working and...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Consultancy Contracts Data (14 Dec 2017)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 43 and 59 together. The Department is responsible for two votes - Vote 28 (Foreign Affairs and Trade) and Vote 27 (International Cooperation). The Department commissions external expertise where highly specialised skills are not available within the Department and in particular where ongoing independent evaluation of programmes and projects is required. During...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Data (14 Dec 2017)

Simon Coveney: The number of passports issued in the years requested is as follows: Year Passports issued 2012 635,600 2013 634,635 2014 632,156 2015 672,760 2016 733,060 2017 (1st Jan. 0 10th Dec.) 752,296

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Applications Data (14 Dec 2017)

Simon Coveney: Tracking of passport applications is in general carried out against channel of application rather than by other metrics, including country of origin. Bearing this in mind, the following general breakdown of applications will give the available detail on numbers of passport applications received from Northern Ireland and Great Britain for 2012 to 2016 and in 2017 to date: Year Northern...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Human Rights (14 Dec 2017)

Simon Coveney: The situation in Venezuela continues to be a matter of serious concern to the Government. Municipal elections took place in Venezuela on 10 December 2017. Preliminary results released by the country’s national electoral institute suggested that the ruling party of President Maduro, the Partido Socialista Unido de Venezuela (PSUV), won a significant majority of available seats....

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Undocumented Irish in the USA (14 Dec 2017)

Simon Coveney: I want first of all to reassure the Deputy that the Government remains committed to finding a solution to the plight of the thousands of undocumented Irish in the United States. By their nature, it is difficult to put exact numbers on undocumented communities, and the thousands of undocumented Irish in the US are no different. Estimates vary as to the numbers but our priority is to assist...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Departmental Budgets (14 Dec 2017)

Simon Coveney: The Taoiseach appointed Deputy John Deasy as Special Envoy to the United States Congress on the Undocumented Irish in June 2017. The work of the Special Envoy is conducted under my overall direction and is part of the ongoing engagement by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade on the issue of the undocumented Irish in the United States. Our diplomatic network across the United States...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Brexit Negotiations (14 Dec 2017)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 51 and 52 together. The second phase of the Article 50 negotiations will enable discussions to get under way between the EU and the UK on transitional arrangements and on the framework for the future relationship between the EU and the UK. Ireland’s overriding objective is that a future EU-UK agreement should be comprehensive and ambitious and...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: EU Issues (14 Dec 2017)

Simon Coveney: As I noted in my response to the Deputy regarding this matter on 13 July 2017, the EU Ombudsman report on unpaid internships in the European External Action Service is an “own initiative” report that has not been the subject of formal discussion among EU foreign ministers. I noted also that the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy /...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Ministerial Travel (14 Dec 2017)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 55 and 56 together. The core functions of my Department are predominantly concerned with international political and security policy, advancing reconciliation and cooperation on the island of Ireland, representing Ireland at the EU level, and promoting Ireland’s economic and trade interests in Europe and internationally. The Deputy will find details of...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Departmental Expenditure (14 Dec 2017)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Question Nos. 57 and 58 together. Photography My Department only avails of the services of external photographic agencies where it is warranted, in particular for major events and State occasions. This is a service which my Department provides so that the media can easily and freely avail of photography where their own staff photographers cannot be fully accommodated....

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Departmental Expenditure (14 Dec 2017)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 60 and 61 together. Photography - 2017 My Department only avails of the services of external photographic agencies where it is warranted, in particular for major events and State occasions. This is a service which my Department provides so that the media can easily and freely avail of photography where their own staff photographers cannot be fully...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: European Council Meetings (16 Jan 2018)

Simon Coveney: The debate on the future of Europe and what direction our Union should take has been gaining pace in recent months. The European Commission published a White Paper in March 2017 on the issue and followed it up with a series of Reflection Papers on EU finances, harnessing globalisation, defence, the social dimension and completion of economic and monetary union. In the meantime, the...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Ministerial Meetings (16 Jan 2018)

Simon Coveney: I met with the EU’s Chief Negotiator, Michel Barnier in advance of the General Affairs Council (Article 50) in Brussels on 12 December and took the opportunity to thank him and his team for their excellent work in securing a positive outcome for Ireland and for the EU27 as a whole during phase 1 of the EU-UK negotiations, as reflected in the joint progress report of 8 December. ...